


Hiatus

by Liniel



Series: The Norrath Saga [11]
Category: EverQuest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-22
Updated: 2019-07-26
Packaged: 2020-07-10 18:44:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,738
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19910425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Liniel/pseuds/Liniel
Summary: This story was inspired by the style of the ancient Sumerian hymns to the goddess Inanna, Queen of Heaven, and the repetitions so frequently displayed in those poetic hymns. It's /supposed/ to be confusing and vague, since it takes place in Ultera - the space between dimensions. It is a dreamlike story. Who is the being lingering in a place of non-existence and dreams, between Norrath and the Void? Would she remained trapped there, slipping away into Oblivion, had not Anashti Sul and her beasts clawed their way back into the world?... So many questions. So few answers.





	1. Chapter 1

\- IT WATCHED -

Rosy cheeked clouds, painted golden by day's last rays of light, flocked by tall mountains to settle down on their broad shoulders. A dying sun withdrew to the horizon, its blood splattered across the sky as Twilight thrust her black spear into its chest. She wandered across the heavens, shadows lapping against her like waves kissing shore. On her brow tinkled seven stars, their blue icy light piercing through the darkness that rippled around her form. Silver hair billowed like smoke, and star-dust covered her midnight blue skin.

Her shadow fell upon Norrath, and people hurried to their homes to light candles and fires. Twilight smiled, eyes glittering like cold diamonds.

An eternity passed.  
Seconds passed.

Beyond time, beyond the shores of life and death, shades and shadows emerged from the great depths of eternity. They wavered, rippled - and collapsed into nihility. A memory surfaced, and _It_ clung to the meaning it held in a place of non-existence and existence, of being and becoming. Of annihilation.

\- IT WAITED -

Things drifted through space and time. Clawed Things. Dead Things. Ages fell victim to the viciousness of matter and creation, and sunk into oblivion.

Land was swallowed by sea.  
Planets were swallowed by the vast ocean that is Cosmos.  
And _It_ was swallowed by a river of time, flowing through the Forgotten places.

Stars exploded. Their deaths gave birth to earth, sea and sky. To shadow and light. Eons passed, second by second marching by in a long line of moments and junctures. Bits and pieces. _It_ lost track of the Whole. Beyond the veil of reality, illusion persisted.

Everything was significant.  
Nothing mattered.

 _It_ tried to remember but Its mind was shattered across infinity.

\- IT LINGERED -

In the ever-changing Here, nothing was constant and everything shifting. Things came into focus, blurred and faded away. Life became death. Death became unlife. Yet _It_ lingered on, drifting between Abyss and Matter.

The fabric of space and time wavered.

It was.  
It was Here.  
Here, in the tranquility in a pause between breaths.  
Here, in the cacophony of a breath between screams.

Infinite stillness devoid of silence echoed through Its center. Grey things seeped like mist through the cracks in reality. Shifting. Transforming. Transmogrifying. Shadow became Form. Form collapsed into Nullity. And Here, where Nothing remained, _It_ perceived. That which cannot be Named stretched far beyond the borders of what-could-be. Of what-had-been. That which cannot be Comprehended spew matter into vacuity. Breathed emptiness into existence.

 _I_ _t_ sensed the presence of the Unnamed in everything, and in the nothing. Now, _It_ discovered something new amongst the Things. Something old amongst the flickering bits of time flowing through dimensions. Some other Thing, that lingered in the Here, where _It_ was no longer alone. Everything was unstable. Nothing was constant. Where there was Void, Something clawed its way into existence. Where there was Matter, Nothing seeped into the world. _It_ focused its attention on the rift in space and time, and beheld the world.

\- IT REMEMBERED -

A woman worked alone in the darkness, untroubled by the absence of light. There was an urgency in her movements, as if time itself struggled to hinder her progress. She mumbled feverishly to herself as she gathered a few items from a small chest on the ground. Into a heated cauldron they all went - ground crystals, herbs, a handful of dirt. Smoke ascended from the cauldron, long fingers of mist reaching out to touch the stone walls and wind around the magician. She held up a wooden staff in the hazy air, a sparkling gem attached to its tip. With a gesture and a word, she tapped into the void and unleashed its power.

Memories sunk into oblivion. Thoughts and ideas gave birth to creation. And in the stream of time, all Things came to an end.

Ever are the forces of chaos and order causing change, in the eternity between dimensions. In the fires of metamorphosis, energy is consumed and from its ashes, new life spring forth. Suns are consumed and the explosion spews out star-dust, in which new worlds are born. The dance of life spirals on... Yet matter alone cannot succeed in creating life, for without the void between matter universe would collapse. Without a space between words, a sentence would hold no meaning.

Streams of energy and time flow like billowing mists. Between realms. Between dimensions. Between void and matter. And in the pause between breaths - the very last, and the very first - void and matter connected.

The Thing that was new to the Here cast her shadow upon the world.  
The Thing that was old in the stream of time cast her gaze upon the world.

The Dichotomy touched the mind of _It_. Images of life and death, of unlife and undeath came into existence and faded into oblivion. Together, they waited. Eons passed. Seconds passed. Time was insignificant. Perpetuity was essential. Then legions of Shadow and Claw marched through the Here. Dimensions curved and touched. Void spilled into existence and spewed out a woman, and divinity.

\- IT BECAME -


	2. Void

There was an earthy scent on the air. The dark elf shivered in the early morning chill, her pale body adorned with glittering drops of night-kissed dew as she lay on the ground surrounded by bushes and tall trees. The long, grayed hair was wet and tangled. She blinked her eyes open, slowly pushing herself up into a sitting position. She brought her trembling hands to her face to push the hair out of it, but paused in mid-air. Something came crashing through the shrubbery.

The golem lunged forth but froze before it reached her. "Grond! Calm down, what is it that you have found?" A tall erudite followed the beast of clay and mud and dirt into the glade, golden glyphs shining on her skin. Nooma motioned to Grond, cautiously approaching the other, golden eyes narrowed. The woman gave off an aura of magic. "Are you okay, miss?"

The elf looked back at Nooma with a blank expression, and her eyes were oblivion. Nooma squatted down on the ground, took off her richly brown cloak and wrapped it around the naked elf. With a nod to Grond, she asked him to stand guard. "My name is Nooma." Her voice was gentle and warm. "What has happened to you?" She met the bewildered gaze of the shivering woman, and saw Nothing in her eyes. "Can you hear me? Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Finally, the elf seemed to react to the conjuror's presence. She nodded slowly, pulling the cloak closer about her but said nothing. Nooma made her decision. Obviously the woman was under the influence of a spell, or traumatized by an assault. Her aura flashed and rippled as if her life energy, her very essence, was unstable. "Come. My horse is tied to a tree close to us. You need medical attention and nourishment." She arose, holding her hand out to the other woman, who accepted it after just a moment of hesitation. Pulling the woman to her feet, Nooma nodded. "Yes. You will stay with me for a few days. The Concordium is not far from my home. Their mages may be able to aid you."

The two women followed Grond back to the horse.


	3. Revelations

The Koada'Dal handed the reins to the stable boy, running her other hand along the white horse's neck. "You'll be well taken care of, Blossom. I shan't be long." The horse whinnied softly, and Eorien smiled. Her darkly blue eyes sparkled, ivory skin glowing softly in the gathering darkness of afternoon's last shivering breaths. It would be nightfall, soon. The illusionist gave the stable boy a gold coin, smiling warmly at his surprised look. "This is yours, because I know you will take good care of my Blossom." The boy lit up, nodding eagerly. "I sure will, ma’am! Don't you worry 'bout a thing." Eorien ruffled his hair, turned to face the inn and tossed a glance towards a window on the second floor. _I sure hope she knows what she's doing._

She hurried up the stairs to tap gently at Nooma's door. The erudite soon opened, and embraced her friend. "Eorien, welcome. How good of you to come at such short notice." The two friends held each other’s hands as they walked into the erudite's cozy kitchen, and Nooma's golden gaze met Eorien's. "The Concordium was unable to meet my request for council. As I am sure you have heard, the Seeress of the Temple has been brutally murdered and all resources are being deployed to solve the crime."

Eorien nodded, looking towards the closed door to Nooma's private chamber. "Is she in there?"

"Yes, she has been sleeping for a full night and a day" Nooma confirmed.

Eorien walked over to the bedroom door and gently pushed it open, peering inside. She did not want to barge into the room and awaken the sleeping elf - her purposes would be better served by the client being in a relaxed state. Her eyes half closed, Eorien focused on reading the mind of the elf.

Nooma watched her friend's face closely. By her own people, Eorien was not considered a great beauty, as her facial features were somewhat irregular. To Nooma, who knew her friend to be kind, generous and warm, Eorien was the most beautiful woman amongst her acquaintance. The erudite's glyphs shone with a warm glow, a discreet sign of her love for her friend. Finally, Eorien shut the door and turned to Nooma with a lowered voice. "She is from the Abyss." The erudite nodded. "Teir. I thought that could be the case, though with elves it is not always easy to tell. She is unusually pale for being--..." Nooma was interrupted by Eorien, who shook her head. "No, not an abyss elf. From the Abyss."

As her friend only stared at her with a blank look on her face, Eorien continued. "I saw a tunnel, underground. A woman working through the last stages of a ritual, alone in the dark. There was smoke, bolts of lightning - I heard her scream. A spell gone wrong, but Nooma... After that, there was nothing." The illusionist fell silent, her brow furrowed.

"Nothing? She died?" Puzzled, Nooma glanced towards the room where the elf still lay entangled in dreams. Eorien shook her head again, still unnerved by what she had seen. "No. She was just... There were no memories. As if they had all been eradicated. I've never felt anything like it." She shuddered. "There was the tunnel, the woman - and then nothing. Her mind was blank, a complete void." The last word fell from her lips like a heavy drop of rain, disrupting the surface of the waters of the mind. Silence filled the room as the two women stared at each other, paling. Nooma was the first to speak, her voice trembling but matter-of-factly. "She was drawn into the Void then?"

"No". The bedroom door creaked, and the two women turned towards it and the dark elf standing in the doorway. She leaned heavily into the post, holding a slender hand up to shield her eyes from the candle light. Nooma turned towards the kitchen table to blow out the lights, while Eorien hurried to the dark elf to support her. "Not the Void. Somewhere in between." The dark elf had difficulty speaking, and cleared her throat. "I remembe, now. I think I got caught between dimensions. Between our world... and the Void." Twilight crept into the room and covered her words in shadow.

Night succumbed to a radiant dawn, and slithering strands of sunlight stole into Nooma's home. They gently kissed the silky cheek of Eorien, brushed against Nooma's golden glyphs and then wound themselves around the woman staring at her own reflection in the mirror. Her eyes were a peculiar shade of blue, azure like the hem of Twilight's ice-rimed cloak. Lush lips trembled in a face paler than ashes, and there were tears glittering in her eyelashes. Long, grayed hair tumbled down her back and she twirled a strand of it between her fingers, absently. Eorien and Nooma exchanged glances. "How long has it been?" the dark elf said, and her voice was small and vulnerable.

"Judging by what you told us about Opal Darkbriar, I'd say you have been gone from the world for a handful of years, no more." said Nooma gently.

"I see." Thoughts crowded her head, crowing like ravens prowling the battlefield. Her gaze fell to the floor, lingering there in what seemed like an eternity. Eorien picked up on the trail of thoughts. "Are you sure you are well enough for the journey?" she asked.

Xanissa nodded. "I am sure. I wish to return to Freeport--.. Home. I want to go home." She tossed another glance at her reflection in the mirror and continued. "I will seek council from the Academy of Arcane Science. Perhaps they know more about these void tempests that set me free."

"And I will ask the Concordium for advise, as soon as things calm down around here." said Nooma. "Eorien and I will ride with you as far as the Commonlands. Our combined powers will keep us concealed and protected, but after that you are on your own I'm afraid."

"But never alone." said Eorien, and the warmth of her smile lit up the room. "You will always have us." Xanissa returned the smile, and sun peeked his head above the roof tops to shine his light through the window and onto the streets of Qeynos.


	4. Seeing red

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On her way back to Freeport, Xanissa travels along the path winding through the Nektulos Forest when she picks up on a scent.

A faint, coppery scent of blood suddenly caused Xanissa's nostrils to flare. She paused, freezing her movements while slowly inhaling the scent, her strangely blue eyes scanning the undergrowth on both sides of the forest path. Her long, pointed ears perked up at the low, nearly inaudible moan from somewhere to her right. She tossed a glance in both directions on the path, then left it to begin her search.

Not far from the path, she spotted someone on the ground behind thick shrubbery. There were signs of struggle and footprints everywhere on the muddy ground. Traces of blood - ruby droplets clinging to grass - along with snapped twigs and fallen leaves revealed to her that the person was likely wounded and had crawled into the shrubbery to escape death. Shadows seemed to lap against her as a predatory smile crept across her face. She dropped to her hands and knees, crawling between thorny twigs towards what she now saw was a man.

"Wh--.... who's there...?" His voice wavered, weakened by his loss of blood and failing strength.

"...Shhhh, my sweet." Reaching him, she paused to pull out a thorn from the palm of her hand and then turned her gaze towards him. Blood soaked his tunic. It was smeared on his hands, arms... the scent of it was overwhelming. Xanissa tilted her head, inching closer. She could hear his heart thumping.

The human closed his eyes in pain, a cough forcing blood to seep through his lips. Each shallow breath was hissing in his lungs. Xan lay down on the ground, resting her head on an outstretched arm, her body pressing against the man. She caressed his face. His hair was tangled and moist, blood mingling with sweat, and she brushed it from his face with her hand, her voice a soft whisper. "Shhhh... 's okay... I'll make your pain stop."

His taste caressed her tongue. She smiled playfully, her smile turning into a frown as the dying man grunted and tried to turn his head away from her touch. "You afraid some of the darkness will rub off on you?" Something cold and cruel snuck into her voice. Disgust, contempt. "So much blood. Is there any left in you?" She sat up, slender fingers finding a metal object in her pocket. She slid it onto a finger, studying the spike that was attached to it with a slow, almost sensual smile playing on her lips. The man was slipping from the world, she could feel it. With every heartbeat, his life was fading, the pain slowly subsiding now that death stole his last breaths. His dim eyes lingered on the dark elf inching closer to his face, her cold hand creeping across his neck. He groaned at the stinging pain when she punctured his jugular vein - and then there was only oblivion.


End file.
